Nemesis
by persian85033
Summary: A new, uncharted planet has unexpedectly been discovered just beyond the Solar System. Meanwhile, there is trouble brewing on Earth.
1. Chapter 1

"I still think that she's a little too young to travel."Jupiter insisted.

"But how else would they ever get to see her?"Venus replied. "You know, they don't leave their posts."

"The closest to the Solarian hermits I've ever seen. Difference is, there's more than one Solarian on one planet, but no more than one on one estate, if you don't count their laborers."Mars put in.

Mercury shook her head.

"It does sound like a rather attractive lifestyle at times, though. Perhaps not the fact that you're alone, but that you're calm."she commented.

"Oh, let's not worry about how the Solarians, the Outers, or anyone else decide to live their lives! I want them to see Small Lady. Not just view her by trimensic, or on their communicators, but see her. After all, we won't be leaving the Solar System."Queen Serenity said.

"Let's just hope that you say the same thing to Kunzite. He insists we shouldn't go anywhere at all. If it were up to him, no one would even look out their window. You see how he's arranged all the guards, and all that security around the Palace, as if we weren't enough!"Venus looked indignant.

She looked accusingly around the room.

"Don't you guys think I do my job well enough?!"she demanded.

"Oh, boy, I don't think Kunzite has been good for your self esteem, has he, Venus? He criticizes everything and everybody too much! I really thought after he'd been married to you of all people, he'd lighten up a bit!"Jupiter told her.

"None of you have answered my question!"Venus demanded.

"But we've always thought you've always been an excellent leader."Mercury assured her. "I'm sure that the only reason Kunzite arranged for all this extra security is simply because, well, we've always known that he takes his duty quite seriously, and with Small Lady, here, obviously, the King wouldn't want anything to happen to her, and Kunzite simply acts on it."

Everyone stared.

"Uh,"Mercury decided to keep quiet instead.

"You're probably right."Jupiter dismissed.

"Does that mean we'll be flying escorted and everything?"Mars complained.

"I'm just surprised that Kunzite thinks he himself isn't enough."Serenity said.

"Don't even put that idea into his head! He's been staying up almost every night, checking this, checking that!"Venus told her.

"You just better ask him not be assigning Nephrite for entire days, with no break, and during the night."Jupiter warned her. "Or will I have to ask him myself."

Venus smiled.

"You know, that might not be such a bad idea, either!"she clapped her hands. "Perhaps if he's forced to stay in bed for a while, he won't be so crazy. At least not for a while. It'd give everyone a break! Now, apparently, he's been hallucinating, even. According to him, you'd think there was a new Enemy, or something."

"What?!"

Everyone turned. Luna and Artemis stood in the doorway.

"Did you say something about a new Enemy?"Luna asked suspiciously.

"No, I was just commenting that Kunzite seems to be imaging Enemies."Venus corrected her.

"Hmm…"Luna looked serious. "And exactly what else does Kunzite say?"she asked.

"Don't tell me you're going to take that seriously?"

"I don't know, it could be."Artemis said. "After all, we do know that Kunzite is always up to date on this kind of thing."

"What are you implying, Artemis?"Venus demanded.

"Huh? I wasn't implying anything. I was just saying!"he said, fighting and impulse to run behind Luna, or any of the other girls, out of Venus's reach.

"I say we should investigate this more closely."Luna finished.

"But, Luna, there haven't been any kind of…well, any kind of trouble."Serenity said.

"I don't know, Your Majesty. Perhaps…"

"We have no motives for violence."said Mercury. "Why would anyone want any violence? We've worked so hard! Maybe Kunzite is just seeing ghosts!"

"I don't know."Luna turned to Artemis. "Artemis, you will go find Kunzite immediately, and then you will find out exactly what this is all about, and we can go from there."

"Right."Artemis nodded, and turned.

"You're over reacting, Luna."Mars said.

"I'd still much rather be prepared."


	2. Chapter 2

Luna and Artemis were hard at work, in their new control room.

"I think maybe they're right."Artemis said. "There seems to be nothing out of the ordinary."

"I suppose so. Although I do wish Venus wouldn't joke about that. I was honestly worried, about a new Enemy, you know."

Artemis nodded.

"Well, let's not worry about what Venus says so much, you know we shouldn't take her too seriously."he suggested. "Why don't we move on to something more essential?"

He clicked a few keys, and a page, containing the daily news on Crystal Tokyo appeared on the screen.

"Just the same as always."he said, scrolling down. "Hmm, but what's this?"

Luna looked up.

"What's what?"she asked.

"Hmm, why would there have been a robbery?"he asked.

"A robbery? Where?"Luna leaned over Artemis's shoulder. "There hasn't been a robbery on Earth for years!"

"I know."

"You don't suppose…"

"Uh, no."said Artemis firmly. "It's probably just someone just wanting some drama. There probably was no robbery in the first place, anyway. They probably just pretended."

"Why?"

Artemis shrugged.

"I'll figure out people. I've never figured Venus, or even the Queen, and I've lived my whole life among them. The closest I've gotten, is to figure out Mercury, and even then I make mistakes."he chuckled.

Luna nodded.

"You do have a point there."she admitted.

"Of course I do! So why don't we just forget all about this?"he suggested. "For right now, anyway."

They walked out of the control room.

"Almost ready for the trip, everybody?"Venus asked.

"Don't we have to wait for the packing to be finished?"Mercury asked.

"Why don't we just get new clothes once we're on Saturn, or Uranus, or Neptune, or Pluto?"she suggested.

"For one, I like to wear my own clothes."said Jupiter.

"And another, Small Lady's already got more clothes here, than she'll ever be able to wear in a lifetime!"Serenity added.

"That's true!"Mars pointed at the twenty nine suitcases sitting by the wall. "And just how are we going to carry all that?"she asked.

"We'll just need more people."said Venus. "That won't be a problem!"

"No, of course it won't."

"Besides, they're ready to receive us at any time!"

"And just where are we going first? Saturn, because it's closer? Pluto, because it's farther? Or just jump from one to the other, randomly?"asked Mercury.

"Good question."

"Well, why don't we just go to Saturn first?"Serenity suggested. "That's the closest. By the way, is it almost time for lunch? I'm starving!"

At the table, Jadeite looked worn out. He'd just gotten off duty that morning.

"And just where you have been, all morning? And a good part of the night as well?"Mars demanded.

Jadeite yawned.

"Where else? Where we all have to spend most of our time now! On duty! Kunzite says that there can't be any leaks in security."he said.

"I personally think it would be a good idea for your Majesty, the Queen, and Small Lady make this trip, Your Majesty."Kunzite was saying to King Endymion. "However, I think that we should remain behind."

Wine and foam spat out of Jadeite's mouth. It soared all the way across the table and landed on Venus.

"Aaaahhhh!"she screamed.

"What?!"Jadeite demanded, hearing Kunzite's comment.

"You idiot! Just look what you've done to my dress!"she screamed.

"Ooops, sorry."he said.

He'd never seen Venus so angry before. She grabbed the pitcher from the center of the table, and aimed at Jadeite. Seeing this, Jadeite immediately ducked under the table. The wine missed its target, and landed on Jupiter instead.

"Hey! Why me? He was the one who spat at you! And why did you duck! Why didn't you let her soak you instead?!"

Jadeite knew he'd made a grave error right there. Jupiter didn't bother to grab the pitcher, but grabbed his shirt collar instead, and started to hit him.

"See what you're irresponsibility has started, Jadeite!"Kunzite demanded, as he grabbed some napkins, and helped Venus dry her face, hair and dress.

"Now to get the stains out!"she moaned. "I swear, I'll get you for this, Jadeite."

Nephrite, Zoicite and Endymion were still trying to get Jadeite out of Jupiter's reach. Mars sat, her arms crossed, watching as Jadeite struggled to get away.

"Uh, shouldn't you be doing something to help your husband?"Mercury asked her.

"Hmm, he asked for it. He's just lucky it didn't land on me!"she answered.

"Oh, he doesn't look too lucky to me right now. Quite the opposite."Serenity giggled.

"And it was a new dress as well!"she exclaimed, as soon as she had finished beating Jadeite up.

"Just why did you have to spit at Venus! See all the trouble you started!"Nephrite said.

"Yeah, and you ruined both their dresses."

"Well, if Kunzite hadn't have said something stupid, I wouldn't have been so surprised, and none of this would've happened."Jadeite insisted.

"Don't blame me for your idiocies, Jadeite!"Kunzite said coldly. "But like I was saying before Jadeite caused this uproar, we should probably remain behind, and keep investigating."he told Endymion.

"I don't see that there's anything to investigate, Kunzite."Endymion looked confused.

"There hasn't been any crime since Crystal Tokyo was established, however, I noticed something odd in the newspapers a few weeks ago."

"You mean since you discovered this new Enemy?"Zoicite asked.

"Well, it isn't significant, in itself, however, it's significant, because it's the first crime on Earth in all this time."


	3. Chapter 3

"Maybe it was just an overreaction. I mean, maybe there was no robbery, maybe they just lost it. And the newspapers are having a field day with it. I mean, it is news, and you know how the media love to exaggerate. It sells better."Jupiter suggested.

Now that they were having dessert, things had calmed down, and Jadeite had fled from the table, Venus and Jupiter changed their dressed, it seemed as if nothing had happened.

"Why don't we wait until tomorrow."Endymion suggested.

"That's why we should wait here."Kunzite suggested.

"We'll get the newspaper anywhere."Endymion said. "We'll just wait, that's it. Now why don't we just forget about the whole thing, and finish dining in peace!"

"Yes, Sir."Kunzite said.

Only Endymion was able to get Kunzite to drop any subject, especially something in which he was so interested in.

"Then we'll see tomorrow."

The next morning, everyone boarded the plane, only Luna and Artemis remained behind. Kunzite had only agreed to go, and let everyone else go, as long as Luna and Artemis stayed behind, and agreed to send any news. Although Kunzite knew that it had actually been Venus the one who had convinced him to go along. He'd much rather that everyone thought it had been out of obedience to Endymion.

"Well, have a good time."Artemis said. "And remember to keep me posted on everything."he whispered to Venus.

"I thought you were the one who was going to keep us posted."Venus answered to him.

He sighed. He had never really liked the idea of Venus marrying Kunzite. But maybe it had been a streak of brilliance on King Endymion and Queen Serenity's part. After all, she did seem pretty happy.

"Well, then just have a good time. We'll take care of everything here."he said. "I'll just go and say good bye to everyone else."

He sat next to Luna, as everyone boarded the space ship, and it took off into the atmosphere.

"I guess we'd better see to the newspapers."Artemis suggested.

Artemis nodded.

"We'd better. But I'm sure that there's nothing."he insisted. "But orders are orders."he said quickly, when he saw the look on Luna's face. "What are we waiting for?"

They walked back into the Palace.

"It's been a while since I've been in space."Nephrite said.

"But the last time we were in space was when we were coming back from Venus."Jupiter said.

"It still feels like forever."Nephrite answered, smiling.

"See, Small Lady,"Queen Serenity said, holding Small Lady up to the window. "That's Earth from space. When we're closer to Pluto, we'll see the stars. And maybe sometime even visit another star. I think she likes it!"

"They're like diamonds."Venus agreed.

She turned to Kunzite.

"So, when are you going to give me a diamond necklace to go with my ring?"she asked Kunzite.

"Oh, I thought I did give you a necklace like that."he answered. "Just last week."

"It wouldn't be a bad idea for you to give me another one."she said. "But maybe with another stone."

Kunzite was about to consult his agenda, but decided it would be better not to. He'd just have to remember, and write in later. Jadeite still looked almost scared to death, not wanting to go anywhere near Jupiter. However, Jupiter didn't even seem to notice he was there. Her attention was focused on Nephrite, who also seemed unaware of everyone else's presence, both acting quite affectionate.

Mercury was more interested in charting the constellations, and classifying the stars by their stellar category. She was holding Small Lady, and seemed to be explaining how to classify stars, and about how constellations looked different from different angles.

"I don't think she even understand half of what you're saying."Zoicite told her.

"Of course she does! Besides, it's good to start getting a good education early. After all, she will be the next queen of Crystal Tokyo, and it's never too early to start."

"Any kids Mercury has will be going to school, even before they're born."said Mars.

Serenity nodded.

"Sounds like it."she agreed.

"We'll be there in just a few hours."Kunzite told everyone.

"That's great, I'm getting airsick."Jadeite said.

Everyone stared at him.

"What?"

"You can't get airsick in space."they said.

Mars sighed and shook her head.

"Really!"she exclaimed.

At the Crystal Palace, Luna and Artemis looked through the newspapers.

"I see nothing so far."Luna said.

Artemis seemed absorbed in one in particular.

"Gee, I guess I should start taking Kunzite a little more seriously."he said.

Luna looked up.

"What are you talking about?"Luna asked.

"It looks like there have also been some murders, and not even in the outskirts of Crystal Tokyo, but right here."he said.

Luna took the article from him, and read it.

"Do you think we should communicate this to the King and Queen?"Artemis asked, looking worried.

"Perhaps we should investigate this, and gather some more evidence, before doing that…"said Luna, thoughtfully.

"Then I guess we'd better start with these murders…so I'd better try to get as much as information on this as I can."Artemis began to click away on the keyboard.


	4. Chapter 4

They arrived on Neptune a few hours later.

"It's nice to be out of that stuffy spaceship!"Venus cried, and ran toward the edge of the landing site, to look towards the ocean. "And I haven't seen the sea for such a long time."

"Uh, the Palace isn't really that far from the beach."Kunzite told her.

"Oh, but still! And I brought my bathing suit along!"she answered.

"I'd better see if anything has come up back on Earth."Kunzite said.

Venus stopped him.

"But we just got here!"she demanded. "Besides, if anything was wrong, Luna or Artemis would already have let us know."

Kunzite seemed to consider that.

"She's right."said Zoicite. "And also right about the sea. It's not like on Earth."

"Neither will lunch be!"Neptune said. "I've had something special prepared! Something specifically Neptunian!"

"Oh, yum!"exclaimed Serenity. "I'm starving!"

"You already ate on the ship! And plenty."Endymion told her.

"Oh, who cares!"she said.

Neptune smiled, and took Small Lady.

"So you're our princess. You're so cute!"she exclaimed.

"I know! I just can't wait until I have a baby of my own! I have to be the first one, after the Queen, of course, out of the rest of us!"said Venus.

Neptune smiled.

"I hope so."she said. "But let's go inside and have lunch."

They walked inside. Saturn greeted them.

"Did you was your hands?"Neptune asked her.

Saturn was still only eight, and she hardly stayed at her own Castle, enjoying alternating between staying Uranus, Neptune, or Pluto. Among all the planetary princesses she was the youngest.

"Yes."she said. "And I changed my dress for lunch."she added.

She bowed to the King and Queen.

"Quite a little lady."Neptune said.

"Can I see the Princess?"Saturn asked.

Neptune kneeled down to let Saturn get a glimpse of Small Lady.

"She looks like she did, the last time I saw her."said Saturn. "She'll be my best friend!"

Everyone smiled.

"Of course!"Queen Serenity said.

"So, aren't we going to have lunch?"asked Venus. "I'm starving!"

"I thought the one who was starving was Queen Serenity."Mars said.

"What happened to you?"Neptune asked, just noticing Jadeite.

He moved stiffly, and had a few bruises on his face.

"Um, I…uh, fell."he said, quietly.

"A fall? It must have been a pretty bad fall."she said. "From the third floor, at the very least."

"Uh, it was down the stairs, actually."he said. "So, what are we having?"he asked, changing the subject.

Mars was digging her nails in his arm, a sign he knew meant she was close to losing her temper. And probably sooner than he expected.

"I think everyone's pretty hungry."he said.

"True! How rude of me!"Neptune said.

She took Saturn's hand, and led everyone towards the dining room.

"Have you heard anything from Luna or Artemis?"Kunzite asked, as they sat down.

"Ugh!"Venus groaned.

Neptune smiled.

"I don't think so. I would've been informed at once if that had been so."she said.

"Kunzite's obsessed. Apparently, all this, that there's no crime, hasn't been too good, for him. My guess is, he's bored."Nephrite said.

"He'd be more bored if he lived here."Neptune said. "There's nothing to do around here! Unless there's an invasion from outside. Which there isn't. So, just enjoy the sights."she suggested. "And I thought that Crystal Tokyo was doing just fine."

"It is."Nephrite insisted. "Only that Kunzite doesn't like not having enemies."

"I still think perhaps we should analyze the situation a little better."Mercury said. "Then, it could probably be just rumors people make up. That's always a possibility."she looked at Venus. "After all, half of what I always heard on Venus wasn't true at all. It was all…exaggerated. Maybe the only thing that happened was that someone borrowed something, and they forgot, or they gave it away, and forgot about that."

"I would be more inclined to think that, then anything else."Neptune agreed. "Although it's better to be safe than sorry, but I doubt it's anything serious. It couldn't be anything. Unless you have an imagination."

"I didn't know Kunzite even knew what an imagination is."Zoicite said. "He doesn't even know what a joke is, let alone, has any imagination. Except for battle strategies, of course, but those don't really take much imagination, do they?"

Kunzite looked sternly at Zoicite.

"It's true."Zoicite told him. "And everyone knows it, besides. After all, it's thanks to Kunzite, that things are so orderly in Crystal Tokyo, and on Earth."

With the last, Kunzite nodded.

"Then I really don't understand just what he's so worried about, if he's in charge. Anyway, if it'll help get that idea out of his head, then you should know, there was just another planet, just appeared beyond Pluto."Neptune told them. "So it's a little excitement we have here. Everyone on Neptune thinks it should be observed more carefully."

"A new planet?"Mercury asked.

Neptune nodded.

"But where did it come from?"

Neptune shrugged.

"No idea."


	5. Chapter 5

Neptune sat in front of the computer, typing away, to bring up the right file.

"It seems to be in a very unstable orbit. From what I see, sometimes it's traceable, sometimes it's not."she told them. "It looks like it was last spotted…thirty five thousand years ago?"she looked surprised. "Well, it's back, I guess."

"It says it's not visible in the night sky, either. If Pluto is, and it looks like it's not even too far from Pluto…"Mercury said. "As a planet, I guess it would have a name. Does it?"

"Not that I can find."Neptune answered.

"Hmm…"Mercury thought. "Who discovered it?"she asked.

"It was spotted a few days ago. By no one in particular, really."

"Um…then I guess we'll leave the name for later."Mercury agreed.

"I think we should still keep an eye on it."Kunzite insisted.

"It's only a planet."Nephrite said, indifferently.

"It's a somewhat cross between a planet and a black hole, actually. You know, space is a vacuum, but…around this particular planet. Other planets reflect light from the star they orbit, but this one, apart from the fact that it doesn't seem to orbit any star, it reflects no light. It seems to absorb it instead."

"My astronomy isn't very good."Venus said, sounding bored.

"The most I know is a bit that I've read in some science fiction that was mandatory in school."Jupiter said. "And just what we know about our star, really, not much else. Maybe you could ask someone else for help. Trantorians know nothing outside their domes in general, Isians, those are more backwards than the entire Periphery put together…"

"Oh, astronomy isn't hard."Nephrite told her.

"Probably not for you."she told him. "You would probably live among the stars if it wasn't for the fact that you're one of Endymion's guards."

"I wouldn't be too worried."Neptune told them. "It'll probably disappear again."she shrugged. "It's probably just a big asteroid, or something, anyway. Let's not worry about it right now."

"That's true."Venus insisted, happily. "I want to go swimming!"she ran to get her bathing suit.

"It's a little too cold on Neptune to be going to the beach, isn't it?"Kunzite asked.

"The beaches on Venus are always sunny!"she said. "I don't see why it ought to be different! Or, we can at least pretend!"

"I think she's right!"Mercury said. "I really do want to go swimming! At the Crystal Palace, we just don't really have as many swimming pools as we do at Marina!"

She ran after Venus.

"Wonderful!"said Neptune. "Let's go to the beach, then!"

At the Crystal Palace, Luna and Artemis looked through every single news item, each of them could find.

"Anything else?"Luna asked.

"No…but two crimes, on a crime free world…do you think it could be some secret organization? That could be it. It really couldn't be a new Enemy! I mean, think about it! Ever since…"he shook his head. "Do you think we should inform the King and Queen?"

Luna looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Hmm, I don't think so…there'd be no point in interrupting their trip, and besides, it's only one. Perhaps…I just don't understand!"Luna looked absolutely bewildered.

"Perhaps if we disguised ourselves…after all, no one on Earth, besides the King, Queen, senshi, and shitenou have seen us in our human form. We could probably find something out that way."he suggested.

Luna's eyes brightened.

"That's not such a bad idea."she answered, nodding her head.

They walked out of the communications room, into the entrance, hall, across the main courtyard, and finally, out of the Palace. Once they stepped away from the walls surrounding the Palace, they were no longer two cats, but had taken their human forms.

"Where do you suppose we should start?"Luna asked.

Artemis looked around the street, at the people, and buildings surrounding them.

"Hmm…well, we could start where the murder and robbery took place."he said.

He took a piece of paper out of his pocket.

"It looks like, well, that it's close to the outskirts of the city. I'm not familiar with that part of the city."he told her.

He took out a map.

"Let's go this way!"he said, leading her away.

The further they walked, the city seemed to get dirtier, and less glamorous.

"This is odd."Luna commented. "It seems like…there's even a bit of poverty here."

"I know."Artemis answered her. "But then, the King and Queen hardly ever come out of the Palace these days, there's hardly any need to, really. I don't understand. Ever since Queen Serenity used her Silver Crystal, there hasn't been anything like this. It was supposed to put an end. How did this happen, I wonder. They don't really look too happy. But we're here as detectives."he remembered.

She nodded.


	6. Chapter 6

"Ow!"Jadeite exclaimed.

Mars pulled Jadeite's ear.

"What are you staring at?"she said, through gritted teeth.

Jadeite realized that the direction he'd been staring, was Neptune.

"Oops."he said.

He always forgot just how jealous Mars could get.

"Um, the sun looks pretty small from here, don't you think? We must be pretty far away."he told her. "You can even see some of the stars from here, during the day."

Mars looked up. At least it seemed like the stars had made her forget all about Neptune.

"Close to the horizon."she said, indifferently, and laid back on the sand. "It doesn't feel like a nice warm day at the beach. It's more like an early morning, or even an twilight on the beach. It's hard to believe it's the middle of the day. I like warm weather much better."

She seemed to have forgotten all about him staring at anyone. Venus seemed more interested, in playing volleyball, than in swimming. Jadeite was pleased to see that Kunzite didn't really look like he was enjoying himself too much. He knew that Kunzite didn't like not being the best at something, and it was obvious that she was much better than he was at this particular sport. Mercury didn't seem to mind the cold weather, but was in the water, swimming with Zoicite. Nephrite was also more interested in the dim stars. He was pointing them out to Jupiter, and probably teaching her astrology, as well. She looked at him skeptically. He looked around. Here, it wasn't as simple to tell where the beach ended, and the sea began. The sand was almost the same color as the water, although it didn't sparkle and foam in the same way.

"This is ridiculous."Kunzite demanded, later that evening.

He had called what he said was an emergency meeting. Without the senshi.

"But don't we usually hold these meetings with them now?"Zoicite asked him.

"Where am I supposed to say I'm going?"Jadeite asked nervously.

"Jupiter doesn't like it when I go anywhere she doesn't know. And I really don't want to spend another week, much less month, or a lifetime, in the hospital."Nephrite told him.

"Never mind all that!"he told them. "I want to speak all of you!"

"So, you mind telling us exactly why you called us here? And on Neptune? We're supposed to be taking a vacation."

"No vacations!"Kunzite told them.

"This was all the King and Queen's idea!"

"Never mind!"Kunzite walked to the viewer. "You see, I've been trying to contact Luna or Artemis, and I haven't been able to. And there's been no news."

"No news is good news."said Zoicite.

"It looks like there's even been a murder on Earth."Kunzite told him. "After all, anything that happens on Earth, would be bound to be known anywhere in the Solar System. This wasn't exactly very widely published, but, I found out anyway. And I think it's rather…suspicious about this business, of getting a nurse, is rather ridiculous."

"I don't see what's ridiculous about it."Jadeite said. "Don't all kids need someone to look after them?"

"I don't think we should trust anyone."Kunzite said.

"Why would they hire just anyone? Besides, the girls and us, are going to be keeping an eye on them, anyway."Nephrite assured him. "And it might not even be anyone from Earth. Who knows, it might be someone here, from Neptune. Or even one of the other Outer Planets."

Kunzite looked furious.

"Of course not!"he demanded. "It can't be just anyone from any of the Outer Planets! It should just be someone from Earth!"he said.

"It could be someone from the other planets."Zoicite shrugged.

"It couldn't be anyone whom we could trust."Kunzite told them.

"You are getting paranoid. I mean, the senshi aren't Terrestians, and don't tell me you don't trust them."

Zoicite scratched his head.

"Well, Mercury always said that if we have kids, the nurse has to be a Mercurian. She says she wouldn't trust anyone else."he said.

Nephrite rolled his eyes.

"Jupiter says the same. Only about Jovians, instead of Mercurians."he said.

"So it probably won't be a Terrestrian, after all,"said Jadeite. "Oh, wait, um, I don't think we could have someone from the Moon, do we?"

"But what does that have to do with anything? You just wanted to tell us that you, specifically, wanted a Terrestrian to keep an eye on the princess?"Nephrite sounded bored.

"I don't think we play the detective very well."Luna said.

"I think I have to disagree with you on that, Luna. I think that, obviously, these things must be connected. Maybe it could even be organized crime? Oh, great, who could that be at this hour?"Artemis asked, as he looked at the monitor, where he could see someone walking towards the main gates leading up to the Palace. "What could they possibly be here for?"

"Well, we won't find out just sitting here, will we?"Luna told him, impatiently. "If the King and Queen, senshi, and shitenou aren't here, we're responsible, after all. We'll have to see to it, and receive them."

They walked out of the communications room, and out to the courtyard.


	7. Chapter 7

"Just sending someone here? I didn't even know that they'd already found someone."Jupiter was eating a plate of cookies.

"They haven't."Mars told her. "At least not until Kunzite finishes that interview. And after that, my guess is that there'll probably be a full scale investigation, on everything. And everything is probably being tape recorded right now."

Jadeite nodded.

"That's true. But surely since Luna and Artemis send her, that would mean that they've probably already done that, and they wouldn't have send her all the way here, if they hadn't been sure to begin with."he said.

"I don't think Kunzite trusts Luna and Artemis's judgment. I don't think he trusts anyone who's not himself."Zoicite commented.

"But the King and Queen seem to like her. They seem to have no problem with her. That ought to be good enough for him. Or the last thing we need is for him not to trust them again."

"I think we ought to be present!"said Venus, crossing her arms angrily. "Oooh, but just wait until I see him tonight! He's going to hear me out, he is!"she looked angry. "He's going to be so sorry he didn't let us in! Maybe he just doesn't trust me, either."

"It really must be hard being married to a guy who doesn't trust your judgment, mustn't it? I don't think he even trusts her at all."Jupiter whispered to Mercury, who sat next to her.

"Well, I don't know what he must be investigating about her. I mean, what if she lies?"

"I think Kunzite's a human lie detector."Jupiter giggled. "Still, she must be scared to death. Even I would be."

The girl who had just arrived on Neptune, walked out of the study. She looked absolutely relieved to be out of the room.

"Did you pass inspection?"Nephrite asked.

"Nephrite!"Jupiter scolded. "Don't you see she's practically shaking in her shoes?"

"Inspection?"she asked, looking worried. "Um, an inspection?"she looked absolutely terrified.

"He was just joking."Mercury assured her.

The other girl looked absolutely relieved.

"Oh, I see. I guess I don't like jokes very much."she said, slowly.

"Don't worry, Kunzite doesn't, either. I guess you'll probably get along with him in that sense."Jadeite told her.

She looked confused.

"Oh, I thought I was supposed to get along with the princess."she said.

"Gee, you probably will get along with Kunzite, won't you?"Zoicite said. "You're both so…logical."

Venus didn't seem to find the comment so pleasant.

"What are you trying to insinuate?"she asked him coldly.

She looked at the other girl. Like Jupiter had said, she was practically shaking in her shoes, it was a miracle that she hadn't dropped her purse, and it was certainly lucky that she wasn't wearing any jewelry, if she had, it would probably be trembling, as well. Really, no matter how logical she was, Venus was sure she'd drive Kunzite insane with that wavering. Anyway, she probably couldn't even string two words together.

"Ugh, I-he said that I should see the Queen. That, um, she would tell me, um…"she looked around.

Despite everything, she did seem impressed with her surroundings.

"Well, this way, then."Mercury told her. "We'll go with you."

The other girl nodded, smiled timidly, and hurried off, with Mercury. The other girls went with them, but Venus went into the library.

"It's about time!"Nephrite smiled evilly.

"Time for what?"asked Zoicite.

"Didn't you see? Your comment about her being logical, and getting along with Kunzite, Venus obviously didn't like it? It's about time he's in our shoes. He's the only one who can do no wrong, and Venus has never even acted jealous. Just imagine!"he chuckled.

"Do you think we could spy? Through the keyhole?"Zoicite asked eagerly.

"But then only one of us could see."

"The rest of us can listen! Besides, I'm the one who noticed, so I'll look through the keyhole, you guys peek under the door, or listen."Nephrite said, and peeked through the keyhole.

Jadeite got on his knees, and looked under the door. Zoicite tried lean over Jadeite's head, trying to look inside. They could hear Venus's voice screaming, and a crash, as something fell on the ground. Then, they heard Kunzite's voice screaming over hers.

"I don't think I've ever heard Kunzite lose his temper before."Zoicite whispered, sounding awed.

"Do you think he'll hit her?"asked Jadeite nervously.

"I seriously doubt that. Even if he does lose his temper, I don't think he'd hit a lady."Nephrite whispered.

"I thought he'd be afraid of her."Jadeite sounded disappointed. "I was."

"_You'll see I'll make your life a living hell! And you'll be sorry!_"they heard Venus yell at Kunzite, as she kept throwing vases at him.

"Uh, Zoicite, how's your Venusian?"whispered Nephrite urgently.

"I don't know any Venusian. Just Mercurian!"Zoicite told him. "And not really very well. At least not to understand it spoken so fast."

"We've got to go!"Nephrite whispered urgently. "She's coming!"

They heard footsteps, so they left the door quickly. Venus stormed out furiously, and didn't notice them, sitting at the other end of the corridor next to the window. As soon as she had disappeared, they decided to leave, before Kunzite stormed out as well.


	8. Chapter 8

They scrambled onto their feet, and into a closet, before she stormed out. She didn't even notice them. She was simply gritting her teeth furiously, and muttering under her breath. They peeked at her from behind the door.

"We'd better get out of here."Nephrite suggested. "Before Kunzite comes out and sees us."

They ran out of the corridor, and as far from Kunzite as possible. Kunzite looked furiously around the room. The china and glassware were scattered and broken. Not to mention several of the ornaments around the room. He would have to get someone in here as soon as possible to clean up the mess. He rang the bell, and one of the upstairs maids walked in.

"Get this place cleaned up!"he told her, gathering some papers, and walking out.

"Yes, Sir."she said, and got right to it.

Kunzite didn't seem to be aware of his surrounding, so it could probably have been just luck that he hadn't noticed Jadeite's cloak, go out of sight.

"We were saved!"Zoicite wiped his forehead. "No thanks to you!"he said to Jadeite.

"You pushed me back!"Jadeite exclaimed to him.

Zoicite and Nephrite were no longer listening to him. Just why did no one ever listen to him?! He wanted to know. Only maybe Mars, but sometimes it was better for her not to, he thought, remembering her temper.

"Was there anything wrong with them, then?"Zoicite asked Kunzite, as they caught up with him.

"Wrong with what?"he asked, sharply.

"Well, during the interview."Zoicite kept implying nxiously.

"I will discuss that with the King and Queen!"he said, simply, and walked away.

"Well, what?"asked Nephrite.

"It looks like we won't find out anything before he tells the King and Queen."

"But that's all right."Nephrite told him. "As soon as the Queen knows, that means Jupiter will know, and she'll tell me in no time."he finished confidently.

Zoicite rolled his eyes.

"Mercury probably won't say anything unless Queen Serenity tells her to."

He looked up at the clock.

"And it's still quite a while till supper!"

"Maybe over tea."

They groaned. There would be just about no way they would be allowed to have their tea with the girls. For one, Kunzite wouldn't allow it, and another, the girls themselves would probably not do it.

"Over supper, then."

"What other alternative is there? And I think you should probably go after your lady."Nephrite told Kunzite. "She appeared to be appeared upset when we saw her dash down the corridor."

Kunzite didn't seem to hear him.

"I have to get this done."he said to them, and walked away from them, faster still.

"You'd think he really didn't want to speak to us, didn't you?"Zoicite sounded skeptical.

"Then we'll just have to rely on other sources."said Nephrite shrugging.

During tea that afternoon, Queen Serenity, Jupiter, Mercury, Mars, and Neptune seemed content. Only Venus wasn't her usual cheery self, but seemed a little moody.

"I really think we should find someone else as a nanny."she said unexpectedly.

Everyone else looked at her.

"Why?"they asked.

"I don't like this one."she said, shortly.

It was very unusual for Venus to be anything but cheerful, and even more so for her to be so quiet. Even when she was upset, she was loud. Mercury reached and took her computer out, and began typing away.

"Nothing seems to be amiss."she said, simply.

Venus kept frowning.

"Why don't you like her?"asked Jupiter.

"She seems…fast."Venus insisted. "And she's such a flirt!"

There was a collective groan around the table.

"NO!"everyone exclaimed at once.

"Yes!"she insisted.

"So, what are we going to do?"

In the nursery, the same girl who had just been interviewed first by Luna and Artemis, and now by Kunzite stood next to Small Lady's crib.

"Well, Small Lady,"she said slowly. "You really don't know what's waiting for you, do you?"she asked.

She looked at the small princess in the crib, in her pink dress, and inexpediently felt a sudden rush of affection toward her. She shook her head, and looked away from the crib. She couldn't really afford to develop a liking for the princess. She wasn't here to look after her, really, after all, but…but she wouldn't think of that right now.


	9. Chapter 9

"Really, what is the matter with you? Or is it just me that everything seems kind of quiet today?"Jupiter asked. "For some reason, it seemed awfully quiet around here."she added, her eye on Venus.

Venus seemed unaware of the conversation around her, she simply stirred her cup of tea.

"Hello!"Jupiter exclaimed at her.

Venus startled at the sound, and dropped her teacup, and splattered her dress.

"Oh! What were you saying? I agree, I see no problem with it."she said, in an attempt at her usual cheery voice, not noticing, or pretending not to notice the stain on her dress.

"Uh, that's going to be kind of difficult to clean off."Mars said, raising an eyebrow, at the spot.

"What?"Venus seemed oblivious, to the stain on her dress. "Is something wrong?"she asked.

"Um, no."Mercury shook her head, and turned her eyes away.

Serenity put her hands over her mouth and giggled.

"Is there's something you're not telling me?"Venus asked suspiciously.

Mercury was about to tell her, but Jupiter cut her off.

"Actually, we were just pretending."she said, simply, and took a crumpet. "But we were talking about, again?"

Serenity tried hard to hold back her giggles, Mercury tried to ignore her, and Mars seemed content to forget the whole thing.

"Let's just wait to see how Kunzite sees her walking around in a stained dress."Jupiter giggled, in Serenity's ear.

They finished their tea.

"I guess I'll go and see Small Lady."Queen Serenity stood up.

Venus drank the rest of the tea, and between her and Jupiter finished the rest of the tea cakes, cookies, and muffins. Kunzite walked out onto the veranda.

"I thought you were supposed to be-"he stopped, as soon as he saw Venus, and his eyes fell on the stain down her front, and on her skirt, and frowned. "Why are you wearing a dress with a stain on it?!"he demanded.

Venus looked down at herself.

"What?!"she exclaimed, and stood up. "I-why didn't you tell me?!"she asked the others.

"We really didn't notice."Mars said, carelessly. "But we'll go now."

She, Mercury, Mars, and Jupiter stood up and left, leaving Venus with Kunzite glowering at her.

"Well, I guess I should go change my dress!"she said, smiling shyly. "I'm such a klutz! Didn't even notice."

She ran back in the door. He sighed, just what was he supposed to do with such an absent minded woman for a wife. And she was supposed have contacted Artemis, and had him send the information Kunzite had asked for, which she probably hadn't done, as well, being absorbed in tea and sweet. He sighed, and took one of the few chocolate muffins still left on the table.

"Not bad!"he said, as he reached out for another one, before leaving the table.

He turned away, and walked inside, as soon as some of the staff came to clear away the table.

"And what's your name?"Serenity asked the girl in the nursery.

'Um, it's…um, Cybele."she answered.

"Oh, that sounds like a nice name."Mercury said, kindly.

Venus walked back into the room, after having changed her dress.

"There!"she sat down, smoothing her skirt. "And won't you please tell me next time! Instead of letting Kunzite be the one to do it!"

"He did have a point, though. You didn't even notice a stain on yourself!"Mercury conceded.

"You guys did that on purpose, and you know it!"

Cybele stood before them, wondering if they were going to ask her the same questions, and interrogate her the same way that Artemis and Kunzite had done. She looked from face to face.

"I guess you must like kids."Mars said. "To have applied for the job."she waved her fan.

"Uh, well, I do like children."Cybele said, and smiled a small smile.

"What do you think of the Princess's room?"Jupiter asked. "After all, you're probably going to be the one who is going to spend the most time around here. For now, anyway, so I do hope it's to your liking."

Cybele nodded, and looked around.

"It looks all right."she said looking at her hands, and turned away from them, not wanting to let anyone see that she looked uneasy.

"And have been brave to have put up with Kunzite's interrogation."Venus said.

"It wasn't like I thought any kind of job interview would be."Cybele burst out. "Um, it was a little like I read in a detective story, though, I don't know if that counts. Is he a detective?"she asked, looking around.

"Well, sort of."Venus told her. "He's the best detective I know, that's for sure!"

Cybele looked horror struck.

"A detective?!"she asked.

"Don't worry, he's obsessed with everyone's security. Especially, the King, Queen, and now the Princess as well. That's why he made such a big deal when you got here."she explained.

"Will he be spying on me?"Cybele asked, nervously.

"Oh, he probably will."Jupiter told her. "At least at first, for the first couple of months, or so, anyway, but don't worry. Even if you do nothing wrong, after all, he'll probably still find something. Any insignificant detail you miss, he'll notice. I don't know how Venus stands him, or how he stands her. She's so absentminded! It must literally be hell for him! Imagine wanting everything done in a certain order, and having someone around who does the opposite?"

Cybele remained quiet. A spy? She had no clue there was a spy here to begin with. If she'd have known, she'd probably have thought twice!

"Um,"she looked around. "I don't think I can do this."she said, and headed for the door.

"Oh, now you've scared her."Venus said, grabbing Cybele by the arm. "Don't pay attention to her! She's just exaggerating!"


	10. Chapter 10

"A detective?!"Cybele exclaimed, looking at the baby in the crib. "And a very good one? I didn't think this would be part of the agreement! I wasn't ever willing to face someone like that! Perhaps…if only someone had influence over him! If he's obsessed with the security? The guards?"she looked up.

There were very few guards, if any, really. She could only guess that Kunzite was so on top of everything himself, that he hardly needed the help. On Earth, very little was known, really, about the life of the monarchs. They hardly ever left the Palace. Of course, everything was much better now that everyone had been purified by the Silver Crystal. Cybele herself didn't remember very much about the times before the Crystal Millennium, but she had heard stories, most of them, she thought, were probably mostly exaggerated by the people who told them. There was no doubt, however, that life had definitely improved. Besides, she was one of the very lucky few who actually got to see the King and Queen in person. They hardly ever walked out among the people. For security reasons, some said.

"The detective won't know anything."she assured herself. She just had to act out her part well enough, that was all there was to it. And what could be so difficult about acting the part of a nurse?

"I think she's terrified of you."Venus was telling Kunzite. "Just what did you say to her during that private interview?"she asked suspiciously, poking him with her finger as she spoke.

"I love watching this."Zoicite whispered to Jadeite. "Kunzite never gives her any reason to be jealous. He always seems so perfect, such a model husband. And now…"

"I think we should discuss later, in a different place."said Kunzite sternly.

Apparently, this wasn't something that Venus was expecting. Her eyes flashed, and she stood up.

"Just what does that mean?! Are you admitting that you're guilty?!"she screamed at him.

Nephrite couldn't hold back his laughter, and burst out laughing. The rest of the room joined in.

"What else could he have meant?"asked Jupiter.

Everyone was enjoying watching Kunzite being scolded. Kunzite looked furious.

"I see no point in continuing this conversation."he said, coldly. "You're just making a fool of yourself in front of everyone."he told her.

He turned, and walked out of the room. Venus ran after him.

"Don't you walk out, when I'm talking to you!"she yelled, shaking her fist at him.

"I'm grateful I'm not married."Neptune said. "And he always seemed so…serious. I'd have thought that he wouldn't even know how to flirt, or do anything wrong, or inappropriate."

"That's what it seems like."Endymion agreed. "But I do have to admit, it feels good to see Kunzite be scolded, and reprimanded, for doing anything improper. Usually, he's the one doing the scolding."

"We should know."Jadeite said, holding his head in his hands. "But now he knows what it's like to be on the receiving end."

Cybele watched Kunzite walk down the corridor, and Venus behind him, shaking her fists at him. She looked around, for a place to hide, and carrying Small Lady, she walked into a closet, to avoid them. She heard Venus's voice, yelling at him. Cybele thought she did sound quite upset. She waited until they were out of earshot before emerging. Apparently, the detective wasn't as astute as she had thought, at first. Or if he was, his wife would certainly take his attention away from her. She would just have to use every ounce of cunning she possessed, to get them to focus their attention away from her.

"It's almost time for your nap."she told the princess. "Then, I think, we will have to board the spaceship to go to Pluto."

"I think that should do it."Mercury said, as she finished entering the data in the computer, and she removed her eyeglasses.

"So, what conclusion did you come to?"asked Neptune.

"I think it is probably a planetary body that simply got pulled in by the Sun's gravity. That, I think, is the most logical explanation."

"So, you don't think it is necessary to explore it?"asked Queen Serenity.

"It might be a good idea."Mercury answered. "But there seems to be no sign of life from it anywhere."

"Maybe it would be a good idea to colonize it."Jadeite suggested.

"Colonize it? What for? It's not like we're running out of room, on any other planet."Neptune commented.

"I guess just leave it alone."Jupiter said. "It doesn't look like much, anyway."she added, looking at the lump of rock in space on the screen. "It doesn't even look like it has an ocean, or any water."

"I think most of the water would be frozen, if it had any. Even on Pluto, most of the water is in ice. Only Plutonians could live in such cold, dark climates."

"Then Pluto must be freezing, if a Mercurian says that."said Nephrite remembering the cold, harsh climate on Mercury, while they were staying at Marina. "I don't know how you go swimming in those freezing swimming pools."

"Mercury's not that cold."Mercury told him. "Besides, the water's only nice when it's cool, not too warm."

"If you say so."he said, skeptically.

"I think the best bet is to go to Pluto, and see what we can find from there. After all, we would be closer."Neptune said.

"I have a bad feeling about it."Mars said. "I sense something evil from it."


	11. Chapter 11

They were back on a spaceship, once more. Cybele looked at the stars, holding Small Lady up to the window, as well.

"There aren't many constellations in this sky."she told the baby. "Further from Earth's star, the stars look brighter, and you can see more constellations."

They were going to meet Saturn, and Uranus, as well as Pluto, once they reached Pluto. Kunzite stayed in the control room, and refused to budge.

"It shouldn't take us very long to reach Pluto."he said, his eyes fixed on the screen.

Venus looked through a magazine through the entire trip. It didn't take them more than the better part of a day to get to Pluto.

"What are you reading about?"Jupiter asked, looking up from her cooking magazine.

Mercury was absorbed in the latest issue of her favorite chemistry magazine. Venus flipped through the pages.

"Just a few tips."she sighed, looking up.

"Tips on what?"asked Serenity.

"About how to get my husband's attention away from that new Enemy, whatever it is, and back on me!"she said.

Everyone's heads turned toward the door.

"That's going to be hard."Mars said, looking up from filing her nails. "Even for you."

Venus looked towards the door, where Cybele was holding Small Lady.

"You don't suppose Cybele would find it too difficult to look after two babies?"she asked them.

"But Small Lady is only one baby? I didn't think she had a twin!"Queen Serenity exclaimed.

"Not a twin!"Venus said.

She put her chin in her hands, and her elbows on the table.

"What I meant was, if I had a baby!"she said.

"Cybele seems to like children just fine."Jupiter said. "I'm sure any number of them isn't likely to disturb her at all. She told me so. She only says that it's sad that they have to grow up."

"I think we'll be landing in a short while."Neptune walked in.

They put down their books and magazines, and stood up. Cybele walked in, carrying Small Lady, and put her in her stroller.

"It'll be good to walk on a planetary surface. I sound like I've been traveling in space for almost an eternity!"she smiled.

Small Lady giggled. Cybele smiled, picked her up, and held her up.

"You're just so adorable!"she said, putting her back in the stroller.

They walked off the spaceship, where Princess Pluto met them, along with Uranus and Saturn. Everyone walked with them to the control room, while Cybele took Small Lady around the Castle. The colors were much more depressing than at the Crystal Palace. Much darker, and the dominant color was magentas, and darker purple.

"It's a little more depressing here, Small Lady."she said. "Darker colors. I liked the Crystal Palace much nicer. But it's safer here for you. You can't go back to Earth. At least not now. You're not mine, but...I feel a special affection for you, but I won't let them hurt you."

Saturn joined them.

"Hello."she said. "I've been wanting to see her for a long time. I met her in the past."she told Cybele.

"Really? I thought Pluto was the only one who traveled through time."she said.

"She is, but I met Small Lady, too. She was my best friend."

Cybele looked down at her, and smiled.

"I hope she'll be my friend again."Saturn said.

"Of course, I'm sure she will!"Cybele hesitated, and asked, "Would you like to hold her?"

Saturn looked up, as Cybele held the baby out to her.

"Can I?"she asked.

"I'm sure you can. If you're careful."she handed Saturn the baby.

"Will she grow soon?"Saturn asked.

"Oh, I don't know. I suppose so. All babies grow. I don't know how soon. Too soon for me. I like them when they're little."

"Can I play with her?"Saturn asked.

Cybele nodded.

"Of course."

"It was just too boring in the control room. Everyone was arguing about a new planet, and what to do about it."she said.

"I guess they're worried about it. Why don't we go to the terrace instead? It's much nicer there."

In the control room, they received a message from Earth.

"It's from Artemis."said Uranus.

"Who else could it be from?"asked Kunzite.

"Let's see what he wants to tell us."Endymion interrupted, before they ended up arguing again.

Artemis's face appeared on the screen in front of them.

"What's the matter, Artemis?"Serenity asked.

"You've got to come back at once, Your Majesty!"Artemis told them.

"Is something wrong?"Kunzite demanded.

"Luna and I have been investigating since you left, and it looks like we've found out who's behind all the crimes."

"But I thought that was just a simple disturbance."said Jadeite.

"It looks like it was much more than that."Luna said. "It looks like it was one criminal who calls himself Death Phantom."

"That does sound serious."Mars said.

"We have to return to Earth at once."said Endymion firmly.

"I'll run and get the governess, Small Lady, and Saturn."Pluto said, and she turned.


	12. Chapter 12

They found themselves in a spaceship, for the second time that day. Cybele watched as the globe of Earth grew larger. No one argued when they had to strap themselves in, as they were descending quickly. Once inside the Crystal Palace, everyone rushed to the control room.

"You take the Princess to her quarters, and the Outers will go with you, to keep an eye on her, and make sure no harm comes to her."Kunzite told her. "We'll go and speak to Luna and Artemis."

Cybele followed Pluto, Neptune, Uranus, and Saturn to the nursery.

"Do you think there is danger?"she asked them.

"Everything will be fine. It has been so long since there has been any crime on Earth, I don't understand why someone has submerged like this. Since everyone has been purified by the Silver Crystal."Uranus shook her head angrily.

"What will happen?"Cybele asked, anxiously.

"They will be stopped."said Pluto.

"I-"Cybele began, and then stopped. "I-"

"Is there something you want to say?"Pluto asked her.

Cybele stopped in her tracks.

"I-you see, what happened was-"she stopped, and looked up at the others. "I was supposed to, when I applied-when the Queen had the princess, was when she was supposed to be weakest, most vulnerable. However, it was too late, when they hired me. So, I was supposed to…during the trip…I was supposed to…the one who was supposed to die was the Princess. But I couldn't! On Pluto, on Uranus, on Neptune, the weather was perfect. It was too cold! Especially on Pluto. It could simply be a simple mistake. She was simply outside too long, or…I don't, I just couldn't! I have a…I suppose I wasn't really the most perfect candidate. I…in only a few days I just…fell in love with e Princess! She's so…she won over my heart."

Pluto, Neptune, and Uranus looked shocked. Uranus was the first to react.

"And who was this person?"Uranus demanded.

"It…it was my father."she said. "But he's not a good person! He's always said bad things about the king and queen, but I don't believe him."she added quickly. "I really don't! I haven't known them long, but they don't seem bad."

"Where can we find him?"Pluto asked her.

Cybele told them.

"Saturn, you stay here with Cybele and Small Lady."Neptune told Saturn. "We must go with the others, and see if there is anything we can do to help."

Saturn sat on the couch, while Cybele sat on the floor, with Small Lady in her lap.

"Do you think that everything will be all right?"Saturn asked.

Cybele nodded.

"Of course. Why shouldn't it."

The Outers met the Guardians, the Shitenou, Luan, Artemis, and the King and Queen, not far from the Palace.

"Weren't you staying with the Princess."Kunzite demanded, as soon as he saw them.

Uranus told them what they had learned from Cybele without preamble.

"A plot? But why? There has no been no violence on Earth for years!"Serenity said.

Kunzite looked furious.

"Your Majesty, you must return to the Crystal Palace, and afterwards, we shall also have a talk with the girl! I don't think it's safe for her to be around the princess."

"You interviewed her yourself!"Venus exploded. "Don't tell me you were tricked!"

"Now we must figure out a way to solve this problem, not create a new one."

Luna and Artemis accompanied Serenity and Endymion back to the Palace.

"We must also get that girl away from Small Lady!"Artemis said.

"Oh, I can't believe she is bad."Serenity said. "She didn't harm Small Lady, after all, and she did tell them the truth."

"She might have said it all along!"Luna told her.

"Right now we must figure out what we must do!"Serenity exclaimed.

"I could help."Saturn offered.

Queen Serenity looked distressed, as they viewed the senshi, and the shitenou, along with another figure.

"I don't think we should execute him."she said. "I don't want more violence."

"Then what should we do?"asked Kunzite.

"Why don't we banish him to Nemesis? And forbid anyone to approach it."Mercury suggested.

"That does seem like the best solution."Zoicite agreed.

Endymion nodded.

"Fine. Then he must leave tomorrow, at sunrise."he said.


End file.
